Would it be a Windows Phone 8 device if we were allowed to really play with it?

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HTC and Microsoft jointly unveiled two new Windows Phone handsets, the 8X and 8S, at a press event today in New York. While neither phone has bleeding-edge specs and no one on the show floor was allowed to dig into the OS (Microsoft is being especially cagey about Windows Phone 8), the design and feel of the devices in-hand is actually very appealing. HTC may be gunning for Nokia's role as the flagship Windows Phone 8 partner. As Jason Mackenzie, president of HTC, stated, "HTC will position the 8X and 8S as the signature phones of Windows Phone 8." Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer didn't disagree.

The 4.3-inch HTC Windows Phone 8X (the phone's full, official name) has a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB of storage, and a rear 8-megapixel camera that has a backside illumination sensor and can record 1080p video. The 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera has an f2.0 lens with an extremely wide (88 degree) viewing angle. This too manages full 1080p video recording. This phone was the larger of the two, rounded on all sides with a matte finish polycarbonate body.

As shown in the photos, the phone wasn't significantly wider than our iPhone 4S, but it has a larger screen (and a higher resolution, at 1280×720). The phone weighs 130 grams and measures 10.12 millimeters thick—not the thinnest or lightest, but it strikes a nice density balance and didn't feel too heavy.

The 8S leans a little more heavily on design, with several different color schemes that involve a "dipped" foot on the bottom end of the phone that matches accents around the camera and on the earpiece. Inside is a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 4-inch screen at WVGA resolution. Strangely, this phone has no front-facing camera, and the rear-facing camera is a 5-megapixel, f2.8-aperture job that records 720p video. These are decidedly mid-range internals, though Windows Phone in the past has managed to provide a smooth OS experience even without cutting-edge hardware.

The shell on the 8S is also made of polycarbonate, and it feels about the same density as the 8X, at 113 grams and 10.28 millimeters thick. While it felt nice in hand, the spec profile doesn't exactly scream "future-proof," so this one will have to be priced very aggressively to get any attention, to our minds.

While this product launch offered no real hands-on time, there was one thing that HTC permitted us to do. We could flip a "Beats Audio" switch while playing music. As we listened on the headphones, the song playing would go from a relatively flat equalizer setting to a more dynamic one suited to the music. The rep speaking to us about the feature said that the switch helped the drivers in the phone's speakers, but it seems to be more an adaptive equalizer adjuster that can tweak the treble and bass based on the type of music that it detects.

Microsoft and HTC announced that both phones will become available on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile in the US and 150 carriers worldwide in November. Pricing details have yet to be announced.

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Casey Johnston
Casey Johnston is the former Culture Editor at Ars Technica, and now does the occasional freelance story. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Applied Physics. Twitter@caseyjohnston

Though I was quite impressed by all the features and design Nokia poured into its Lumia phones, I think that for now, based on what I've seen in photographs, I prefer the design of the HTC Windows Phones. That's probably because of my strong dislike of all things shiny when it comes to technology gadgets. If I would choose my next phone with the design as the main factor of choice, which is probably what I'll do anyway, I think I'll let me be tempted by the HTC 8X.I'll see how the reviews judge the cameras and ponder whether I actually need the "wireless" charging and the LTE. Then, maybe I'll end up with a nice flagship phone a tons of memory since the HTC will all sacrifice design to have a micro-SD slot. Maybe I will feel a bit guilty for not buying European though.

You do know that comparing WP8 and anything WM6.5 is like comparing Mac OS 9 to OS X, right? Completely different products.

Wait, of course you do, you're a troll. Congrats on being the first recipient for this handy Ignore button.

WM6.5 was not what caused my End button to jam or my Windows button to fall off. That was entirely HTC's issue, and this kind of thing never happened to any other phone I've ever owned, dating back to my giant no-name brand brick from the 90s.

Interesting that the Windows Phone OS has energized phone makers to embrace colourful handset designs again. I was kinda hoping that Apple made the iPhone available in all of the colours of the new iPod touch. The first thing most people do when buying a smartphone is to get a case, not just for protection but also to personalize it a bit.

720p on a 4.3" screen, just like HTC's own Rezound, which means better ppi than "Retina class" displays. I want my next phone to have that exact screen, but all the new Android 720p devices have been 4.6" or greater. I hope HTC uses the same form factor as the 8X or at least the same screen for a new Android phone. Perhaps a Rezound 2?

Because, let's face it, Windows Phone OS is DOA. Android and iOS have way too big of a head start in apps for Windows to catch up, and, in the end, it's the apps that matter.

Interesting that the Windows Phone OS has energized phone makers to embrace colourful handset designs again. I was kinda hoping that Apple made the iPhone available in all of the colours of the new iPod touch. The first thing most people do when buying a smartphone is to get a case, not just for protection but also to personalize it a bit.

I would say Nokia made them so, and for that matter, Nokia had HTC embrace many vibrant, bright, wonderful colours. The colourful Windows Phone theme exists since WP was released 2 years ago. But until Nokia lobbed a few cyan Lumias, no one seemed to dare using more colours.

It's sad to see that they are still using a 480p screen on the entry level model when they could have easily went with qHD. Also, why is it that microsd card slots are being done away with? Only the entry level wp8 devices have them but not the flagship devices (820 nor htc 8x).

The hardware is on par with android but the OS is barely on par with android 4.0. If they want to gain market share they need to be head above shoulders.

Though I was quite impressed by all the features and design Nokia poured into its Lumia phones, I think that for now, based on what I've seen in photographs, I prefer the design of the HTC Windows Phones. That's probably because of my strong dislike of all things shiny when it comes to technology gadgets

You do know that comparing WP8 and anything WM6.5 is like comparing Mac OS 9 to OS X, right? Completely different products.

Wait, of course you do, you're a troll. Congrats on being the first recipient for this handy Ignore button.

WM6.5 was not what caused my End button to jam or my Windows button to fall off. That was entirely HTC's issue, and this kind of thing never happened to any other phone I've ever owned, dating back to my giant no-name brand brick from the 90s.

Perhaps but I cannot fault HTCs build quality in the last couple of years. I owned a Wildfire (low-end Android) and it held up to a lot of use and abuse throughout my time with it. It may have been laggy with the user interface and the screen may have been quite poor in resolution and size but build quality was certainly not an issue.

My brother now has a new HTC One-series phone (I forget which one) but I was very impressed with the build quality. I don't feel that the build quality is quite as good as my Nokia Lumia 800 - mainly due to the seamless edges - but it was certainly very high-quality and competitive with the various iPhones I've seen and used over the years, which have all had excellent build quality.

So HTC's build quality is not to question these days. I haven't read a recent review that has criticised it. They're very good phones if Android is for you and I'm sure these Windows 8 phones will be similarly well built, despite the personal dislike of some of the colours.

The only company producing high-end phones that I've read reviews of having issues are Samsung. That mainly seems to be due to material selection and not the manufacture per se.

720p on a 4.3" screen, just like HTC's own Rezound, which means better ppi than "Retina class" displays. I want my next phone to have that exact screen, but all the new Android 720p devices have been 4.6" or greater. I hope HTC uses the same form factor as the 8X or at least the same screen for a new Android phone. Perhaps a Rezound 2?

Because, let's face it, Windows Phone OS is DOA. Android and iOS have way too big of a head start in apps for Windows to catch up, and, in the end, it's the apps that matter.

If WP8 gets some US carrier love and/or Windows 8 / Windows RT do well in the tablet sphere, I could see it becoming the third competitor.

720p on a 4.3" screen, just like HTC's own Rezound, which means better ppi than "Retina class" displays. I want my next phone to have that exact screen, but all the new Android 720p devices have been 4.6" or greater. I hope HTC uses the same form factor as the 8X or at least the same screen for a new Android phone. Perhaps a Rezound 2?

Because, let's face it, Windows Phone OS is DOA. Android and iOS have way too big of a head start in apps for Windows to catch up, and, in the end, it's the apps that matter.

If number of apps is your yardstick then Apple should just stop making Mac OS X as Windows clearly outpaces it in marketshare. Oh wait... people like those products?

Because, let's face it, Windows Phone OS is DOA. Android and iOS have way too big of a head start in apps for Windows to catch up, and, in the end, it's the apps that matter.

Can we wait until 6 months after Windows 8 launch to call Windows Phone DOA due to lack of Apps? I would think that the fact that "Modern" Apps for Windows RT and for Windows 8 and for Windows Phone 8 (and probably for the next Xbox release) are all going to be on a common code-base would allow the app difference to close quickly.

At that point you get to the difference in the OS's themselves. At that point, iOS is starting to show it's age and silo-based UI.

I, for one, have never once had any significant issues with finding good-quality applications for my Windows Phone. The marketplace is very high quality and in my experience the applications are generally of a far better quality than the applications on the Google Play store. After owning a Windows Phone for three months and owning an Android handset I can happily say this. That's not to say that Android doesn't have high-quality applications - far from it - but the consistency I get with the Windows Phone marketplace just wasn't there.

Interesting that the Windows Phone OS has energized phone makers to embrace colourful handset designs again. I was kinda hoping that Apple made the iPhone available in all of the colours of the new iPod touch. The first thing most people do when buying a smartphone is to get a case, not just for protection but also to personalize it a bit.

I would say Nokia made them so, and for that matter, Nokia had HTC embrace many vibrant, bright, wonderful colours. The colourful Windows Phone theme exists since WP was released 2 years ago. But until Nokia lobbed a few cyan Lumias, no one seemed to dare using more colours.

Fujitsu had some nice colors on its WP devices. Too bad they were Japan-only, and did poorly at that.

I hate to stay on topic, but the color selection makes the bezels look huge. Still smaller than 4s, which to my eyes looks ancient with all that surface for such a small screen. Yes, the iphone 4s is hugely popular, but now that I'm upgrading I find that I can't stop staring at all that material that isn't screen.

Do people think all that edge helps usability? I'm genuinely curious before I upgrade. And HTC has that here, too, though not so much on the high end One phones.

I agree. Let the Windows 8 OS mature before making any judgement call. Remember, Android was the same way at first. People who bought the very first phones didn't like the interface or features in the beginning, but it eventually grew on them, and the same for iOS for Apple. The Windows 8OS needs to have a chance to develop like the other operating systems, and it may get that chance when the OS shares its features with Windows 8/RT for tablets/XBox. With that kind of intergration and with the next gen XBox having a similar ecosystem, it should be interesting to see the outcome of the OS/phones.

Why cant we have Tron-like borders. A phone rings and the borders have a lines around it that start blinking in yellow, cyan or red or whatever other color. Whoa!!! That would be a killer design feature. Yes it will use more battery. But so what. Everybody charges their everyday anyway.

I, for one, have never once had any significant issues with finding good-quality applications for my Windows Phone. The marketplace is very high quality and in my experience the applications are generally of a far better quality than the applications on the Google Play store. After owning a Windows Phone for three months and owning an Android handset I can happily say this. That's not to say that Android doesn't have high-quality applications - far from it - but the consistency I get with the Windows Phone marketplace just wasn't there.

Exactly what my partner has said and the both of us have to use different phones for content creation. She will not go back to Apple let alone Android.

I loved Windows 8 preview on our test desktop and I really like the Nokia Lumia 900 which makes my iPhone4 look dated and iOS5 or even iOS 6 which we have some sight of through a developers license is badly aging.

I'll be buying one of these Windows 8X phones, more likely the Lumia 920.

Why won't anyone tell us how much their phones cost? Seems like HTC has presented an even bigger middle finger to the public than Nokia did recently, which is saying something.

I'd be happy if Ars took a stand against lame press and derided the companies. I suppose you can't not report this, but it's shitty, because it means there's a guaranteed second article for these companies when they do bother to let the plebs know what the prices are.

I can't understand why they aren't including SD slots in these things. I currently have a 16GB Trophy, and while I don't *need* more space I wouldn't mind having a few more music albums on there for long plane rides. Or even some video - with the new HD displays HTC and Nokia are putting on there I might consider it.

Why hasn't Apple sued HTC for making a rectangle you can use to make phone calls with? Clearly HTC is crass copyist and even writing it is infringing on Apples IP (imaginary property). Something must be wrong if another company can dare to make the same product as Apple.

I, for one, have never once had any significant issues with finding good-quality applications for my Windows Phone. The marketplace is very high quality and in my experience the applications are generally of a far better quality than the applications on the Google Play store. After owning a Windows Phone for three months and owning an Android handset I can happily say this. That's not to say that Android doesn't have high-quality applications - far from it - but the consistency I get with the Windows Phone marketplace just wasn't there.

The bigger the market, the more crap in the app store, Authors actually make money on windows and Blackberry apps.

720p on a 4.3" screen, just like HTC's own Rezound, which means better ppi than "Retina class" displays. I want my next phone to have that exact screen, but all the new Android 720p devices have been 4.6" or greater. I hope HTC uses the same form factor as the 8X or at least the same screen for a new Android phone. Perhaps a Rezound 2?

The buzz is that HTC is working on a 5" Android phone with a 1080p display (1920x1080 I'd assume). I'm disappointed that didn't get announced today, but there were a couple suppliers showing off 5" 1920x1080 screens at IFA Berlin a few weeks ago, so it seems plausible that such a device could be in the works.

Come on somebody: 1920x1080, Jellybean, 3000mah+ battery, and a quad-core processor is all you have to release for me to start shoving my money in your face. Let's get with it.

While thinking of owning a Windows phone might make me feel a bit sick, I think what they have done in terms of striking out in an original direction at least deserves an honest chance. When they appear in the Optus shop near work I'll be taking a look.

Because, let's face it, Windows Phone OS is DOA. Android and iOS have way too big of a head start in apps for Windows to catch up, and, in the end, it's the apps that matter.

Android and iOS, are either of those PCI (security) compliant? No and even with things like Good Technology on them they're still only partially compliant.

Android and iOS, do either of those have full device encryption out of the box? No and again you have to use a third party app to get close.

Android and iOS, either one has full set of Office apps? Nope.

Android and iOS, sure they have lots of games, but do you get Xbox Achievements for playing them? Nope (okay that one isn't entirely fair, but the full on Xbox Games written with DirectX on the 720p phones should impress)

With an Android phone you really don't know what kind of features and UI you're going to get from one brand & carrier to another.

Too much fragmentation.

With an iPhone you know EXACTLY what kind of features and UI you're going to get. It will be identical to the other 50 people waiting in line for the iPad mini.

Mono-culture = bland

All that said, we'll see how Windows Phone 8 devices perform when we can do something more than just see how "meh" the Beats Audio feature is. No hands on means judgement reserved. Specs mean squat until I get it in my hands. The specs on the HTC Trophy I've got were "meh" but the device is solid and delivers even if it's bland by today's standards.